Fields of Opportunities

Here we are enjoying a picnic dinner at Yum Yum Farm with our dear friends Anne and Bishop. We are saddened that they are moving to the Puget Sound area, but thrilled that we are able to share this experience with them. They, too, are building a new home on a beautiful site in Washington, and they currently live in a home built by the Amelons. It's gorgeous, and, of course, very well made! This photo is looking east, adjacent to the raspberries that we got from our dinner guest's garden a few years ago.

The sun sets on Yum Yum Farm as the dinner party winds down. Alas, tomorrow is another work day, and we must take our rest. Sunsets out here are nearly always a soft, fluffy pastel drawing. Weather permitting, of course.

This House is Soooo Rad!

Upon setting foot inside the Yum Yum Farm house, Joanna's cousin Paige immediately began to alert architectural impresarios around the world to what was happening in our little town. Actually, I think someone called her. In any case, we were honored to have Paige visit our new home, where she became the very first person to sleep in our house. We haven't even done that yet! Paige enjoyed a comfortable midsummer night's slumber in the loft, while we slumbered in our truck-top tent. The picture below is taken from the future back yard, south of the dining porch, looking up, obviously. Paige and Joanna are inspecting the fine craftsmanship of the newly framed house. Paige is a writer, travel and otherwise, and you can find out more about her and her subjects at http://www.paigerpenland.com/.

Here's that comfy loft we were talking about. Joanna will market her company's products from the office located here, and guests who don't mind ascending a slightly steeper than usual staircase will enjoy sleeping up here. The loft will feature a nice big window looking to the west, though it's covered for now, pending arrival of the windows. Speaking of windows, they are being manufactured as we speak (or type) in Ashland, Wisconsin, on the shores of beautiful Lake Superior. They are called H Windows, and you can learn more about them here: http://www.hwindow.com/

Worth a Thousand Words (to us, anyway)

E-L-E-V-A-T-I-O-N

Our framers finished the eaves today, which are constructed of cedar. This is the west elevation of the house. This thing is getting pretty tall, and it looks like these details might have been somewhat scary to construct. That's why I'm a gardener.

This is a closer view, taken from the northwest corner, showing the entry porch roof and eave details.

A Room With a View

We've now walked around the loft for the first time. Joanna is especially taken by the space--and it's a good thing, as this will be her office! This wonderful room will also be a guest room when necessary, and will feature some storage space. Joanna is looking to the west in this picture, and there is a matching window on the east wall which affords a beautiful view into the long valley beyond.

And here's that lovely view to the east now! The boards that obscure the view out the window are temporary bracing, and will be removed. This is the view that one will have when sitting at the desk in the loft. Just slightly less colorful at certain times of the year. We might even get to watch some fireworks through here!

This is now the full skeleton of the house viewed from the west. This shows the finished shape, so scroll back a bit to see the architect's drawing, and you can fill in the blanks. This should all be covered soon, then on to the inside!

Gimme Shelter

This is really starting to take shape. The roof joists have been placed on the south elevation, and the trusses cover the dining porch. This photo creates the impression that the 3 joists on the left are supporting the rest of the roof. In fact, there is a very large ridge beam, supported by the structure above and below the window openings on the top (loft) level. This beam was featured in a previous post. It appears to be very heavy. We ate breakfast on it.

Here's an interesting detail of the window on the east elevation that will sit above the living room. While we had a great deal of trust and respect for the individuals involved in the design of this dwelling in the conceptual stages, each phase of construction awes us with the knowledge, creativity, and intelligence involved in putting this project together. Kudos to John, Curt, and everyone else involved!
This stage is really fun from a photography standpoint. We could continue posting cool pictures of framing and shadows ad nauseum, but we'll leave it at this! The photo below shows that there will be a flat ceiling above the dining porch, which will continue into the living area for a short distance. This is a feature that draws the gaze out toward the view, and, when going inside, adds drama to the high space in the main living area. This is a Frank Lloyd Wright kind of thing. For those of you who've visited Wright's Cedar Rock, the feeling entering the Garden Room was very inspiring to us. If you don't know Cedar Rock, Google it, or ask us to take you there!

Good Moon Risin'

Had we been sitting at the dining room table last Saturday night, at the right time, this is the view we would have had out the window to the southeast. Though we don't have a lot of experience with moon rises at the farm, we're hoping this is par for the course.

This is where you'll be entering the Yum Yum Farm house. This is the framing for the main entry porch, on the north side of the house.
This very sturdy looking beam, or collection of beams, will support roof joists, and sliding doors that will enable the dining porch to be closed off from the rest of the house. This requires a crane to hoist it into place. The beer bottle at the lower right helps to put the size of the beam in perspective. Or something like that.

Lofty Plans

Now this is getting interesting. This protruding element on top of the framing is the part of the loft that cantilevers over the living room. This is the perch from which Joanna will keep watch over Yum Yum Valley, and formulate brilliant marketing plans for all of the wonderful products from Kalona Organics. This photo looks southwest and shows the loft hovering over the bedroom and bathroom. Between the two is a small alcove that will house a custom made cabinet for our towels and linens and things.

This is the view that one will see upon reaching the top of the stairs, coming up from the basement. This is the kitchen window, looking east into the valley. The kitchen sink will be right below this window. Note the engineered lumber used as studs in this area. Comments?

This view is looking north from the dining/sleeping porch into the bedroom. Note the framing for the loft floor overhead. This will remain exposed, and will be a sort of canopy over the bed. Lighting will be mounted to the face of the loft, which is at the top of this photo.

The Next Level

We must apologize for the time we've allowed to pass since our last post. You must be on the edge of your seats, breathless with anticipation! Well, here it is--the beginnings of the main level. This view is taken from the same place where the first picture on the blog was taken, but not zoomed. We've been taking photos from this same spot, so we can do some sort of time-lapse thing when it's done. The most striking thing about the construction as it progresses is the view, and the way it is framed by the windows. The far right part of the house is the dining porch, and it provides a gorgeous vista to the east, south, and west. We can't wait to eat here!

Here's Joanna enjoying the view now! This photo is taken from the kitchen, or so.

Here's a view, soon to be obscured, to the northwest. The window on the left is the bedroom, next is the bathroom, and the last is above the landing in the stairwell (to the basement).

I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes

EEEKKKK! Here's one of the things that we forgot about in our move to the country. Joanna valiantly fought off this giant Anaconda while I bravely zoomed in to photograph its attempts to devour us. While the picture may be deceiving, this was easily the size of my truck. But seriously, can any of you reptilophiles (is that a word?) identify this creature for us?

Here's a cool look at a more refined basement, with evening sun shining through the west windows. This is taken from the guest room, looking toward, from left to right, the mudroom, bathroom, mechanical room, and the stairs.

Now that the first floor is in place, this is the view from the dining porch, looking south. Without windows, of course. We can't wait to break bread with you at this location!

Stone City, Iowa

This is Grant Wood's "Stone City, Iowa". Our wood burning stove will sit on a limestone hearth cut from the quarry depicted in this painting. This quarry is still operating as Weber Stone Company. Despite Wood's unique and (in my opinion) beautiful abstractions of the Iowa landscape, descending the road into Stone City looks and feels very much like this depiction, even 77 years later.

Glowing Endorsements

We've been meaning to do this for a while, and now the persistent rain is allowing us to catch up. While we are still beginner bloggers, we'll do our best to direct you to information about the amazing people, companies, products, and concepts involved in the construction of the Yum Yum Farm house.

First, our architect. We became aware of John DeForest through the book "Good House, Cheap House." While we did contact some other architects, we immediately felt comfortable with John's personal and very professional approach. He has been a wonderful guide through this process, and we never cease to be amazed at the ease with which John translates our ideas into a home, and contributes ideas that we would never have imagined. John has had assistance on our project from his intern, David Fuchs, who, at this early stage of his career has added much to the Yum Yum Farm home. Both are a joy to work with. You can read about David, and the rest of the DeForest Architects team at the site listed below. In addition, there is a link to a very nice article about a home John designed in Seattle. Check it out!



John DeForest, AIA, (Principal) is a native of Seattle and received degrees in architecture from Yale University and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. As a founder of dA+ and parent of two young children, he is especially interested in the challenge of designing creative, comfortable, and inspiring spaces for growing families and businesses.--From the DeForest Architects website: http://www.deforestarchitects.com/index.html


Our general contractor is Amelon Construction, and we have worked specifically with Curt Amelon. Without exception, we have received the same response from everyone who has discovered that the Amelons are building our house. Something like "you've got the best." If you are building in the Iowa City area, plan ahead, and contact these wonderful people. As if being good at their craft weren't enough, they're all engineers. Curt is pictured with us in the very first photo on the blog, participating in our ground breaking.
Amelon Construction, Inc. Contact Duane, Dean, Curt, Dave & Jeff Amelon 2953 Black Diamond Road S.W. Iowa City, IA 52240 Telephone: 319-683-2369

More to follow!

Rainy Day, Dream Away

Now this is starting to look like something! This is a view from the driveway, looking southeast. The two windows in the basement are for the bathroom and mudroom, left to right. This shows for the first time the main level dining porch, which extends out over the basement walkouts to the south. This gives a good sense of the main level floor space.

Here's a view of the basement under the dining porch. The door on the left will go into the mudroom, and french doors on the right will open into the guest room. This view is looking north-northeast.

A view to the south from the point where the steps up to the entry porch will be located. The idea is to preserve as much of this view as possible upon entering the house. The dining table will be at the far left corner of the main level.

Dem Bones

Here's a sneak peek into the basement. This is approximately where the mechanical room and bathroom will be located, and looks beyond to the guest room. Taken from the west looking east.

"Son, I don't know about this Modern architecture." Our first guests, enjoying the open floor plan, but understandably concerned for our comfort during Iowa's long winters. Dad supports the door frame to the laundry room while Joanna serves as tour guide for Joyce, standing at the (future) bottom of the stairs.

This is an interesting detail of the floor joists underneath the main level shower. Rot-resistant wood under the bathroom--brilliant!

Workin' On A Building

This is the sill plate, securely attached to the foundation with some foamy/bubbly sealer stuff in between to keep out the drafts.
This is a sneak preview of the next post. The lumber lying on the ground in a UPC symbol pattern is actually our back basement wall. From left to right, it features a french door, window, and single door. The first two are part of the guest room/art gallery/dance hall/great room, and the latter leads into the mudroom. This week's weather has provided ample mud for us to track into the mud room, and it seems to be taking it very well. On a more serious note, the town of Marengo, which is a bit northwest of us, is experiencing its worst flooding in 40 years.

Some Assembly Required

Here we have a bunch of wood chosen specifically for our home. This particular pile features all of the engineered lumber, which, as I understand it, will be supporting things.

This closeup shows some very long laminated beams that have a more finished surface. I would guess that these will be exposed, but I'm not sure where. Any comments from our design/construction friends out there?

As is evidenced by the photos, it rained quite a bit today, so framing didn't start. Good news for the corn; not so much for the house. Framing is to commence tomorrow, so we should be able to show these boards in their permanent locations soon.

Patience is a Virtue

Well...still nothing new to report. Framers will be starting tomorrow (weather permitting, which, if the forecast is correct, it will not), so we thought we'd take this opportunity to show some of the items that are patiently awaiting installation in our home, but currently reside in various storage spots around Johson and Washington counties.

Remember the picture of that old house north of Amana a post or two ago? This is the interior, showing the subfloor that will become our finished floor in the process of removal. We've seen a finished piece, and believe it or not, it's gorgeous. The planks will be 5 to 5 1/2" wide, and will cover nearly all of the main floor and the loft.

These 2 pictures feature the very substantial old sink that will be in our main bathroom. We picked this up several years ago from Iowa City's Salvage Barn, an organization that rescues good materials and fixtures from old houses and buildings being razed or remodeled. We were told (although it's not been confirmed) that this sink is from the University of Iowa's Biology Building, and was removed during the remodeling process. We figured it was so cool that we had to have it. Not knowing what to do with it at first, it resided in our back yard growing herbs. It eventually occurred to us in the early stages of designing our house that with a little TLC, this could work really well in the main floor bathroom. So we had it refinished over the winter (by Bathcrest, and Premier Automotive--they did the base), and it turned out beautifully. It will be complemented by beautiful Chicago Faucets, mounted on the wall behind. These are before and after photos.

Finally, this is our other beautiful old bathroom fixture, contributed by our beloved Ohio relatives Greg, Brooke, and family. The renovation is also courtesy of Bathcrest and Premier Automotive in North Liberty. The blanket is to keep it from breaking the window on the truck. This lovely old bathtub will be enjoyed by our guests (and us) in the downstairs bathroom. By the way, if you've randomly stumbled upon this blog, and haven't figured it out yet, this project is taking place in east central Iowa.

Knee-High by the...11th of June!

The old adage about corn being "knee-high by the 4th of July" is obviously outdated. Henry A. Wallace, native Iowan and Vice President under Franklin Roosevelt, began hybridizing corn at the age of 12, while his father was a professor at the Iowa State University of Science and Technology (the one in Ames, not Iowa City), and befriended a student experimenting with peanuts by the name of George Washington Carver. A wonderful biography of Wallace was written several years ago by former Iowa senator John Culver, whose son Chet is our current governor. (They're Democrats, if you were wondering). The jacket of the book features Iowa artist Grant Wood's portrait of Wallace against a farm field, which I am mimicking (poorly) in this photo. The other, more relevant photos show that our nascent house has been backfilled, and is anxiously awaiting a frame to be built upon it! The view from a distance had been obscured until today, and this is where we've marked a spot from which to take pictures and create a time-lapse series. This is the point from which the very first ground breaking photo on the blog was taken.

Amana, Amish, and Another Floor

I'd like to take this opportunity to clarify a common misconception: Amana and Amish are not the same thing. The old house in the photo is north of Amana, and is being dismantled by a great couple of people who refer to themselves as Tri-Coastal Salvage. Beth and John dismantle beautiful old buildings and sell the gorgeous, sturdy materials for reuse in new projects like ours. This is a circa 1920 farm house, from which we are utilizing the subfloor for our finished floor. The wood has been milled by an Amish craftsman, who has shaped the boards into 5 and 5 1/2" tongue and groove flooring. We are told it is old vertical grain douglas fir, and we have no choice but to believe it! It is beautiful, and we are extremely fortunate and grateful to those who have lovingly rescued it and crafted it into the Yum Yum Farm house floor.

Now, just to be clear (and please comment if I get this wrong): The people who settled the Amana Colonies were known as Inspirationists, from Ebenezer, New York. The Amana Colonies consist of 7 distinct, but related villages, that are probably best known outside of Iowa for having produced the Amana Radarange microwave ovens, and other household appliances. This is quite different from the Amish, who live in northern Washington County, primarily in Kalona, but also toward and around Riverside, Wellman, Frytown, and Joetown. Outside of our area, Amish are known for devout lifestyles that shun many modern conveniences, such as Amana Radaranges and other household appliances. Get the picture? Please note that these are ridiculous simplifications of very rich cultures, which we hope to expand upon in future posts.

We're Floored!

We now have a basement floor, and are ready (almost) for framing. The various things sticking up out of the floor will facilitate the elimination of waste water from the house, and the venting of radon gas out of the basement. Radon gas apparently occurs in abundance in Iowa, which is not something you'll generally hear about at our lovely welcome centers. The good news is, there are ways to eliminate it from your living space. The lower left photo will be the corner of the mudroom. Mother Nature, as you may have noticed, has provided an ample supply of mud so that we may test the limits of said room. So far, so good! Of more interest is the foam insulation that separates the basement floor from the foundation wall, to reduce the transfer of winter cold to our lower extremities. Nice!

The Hunt for Red FinnForm

The hunt for this exotic building material took us to beautiful Chicago yesterday. This is a plywood called FinnForm, made in, you guessed it--Finland. FinnForm is a beautiful, sturdy product, that, appropriately, drew blood not once, but twice from Joanna's hands. I felt sorry for her, but hey, somebody's got to sit inside keeping an eye on things! Just kidding. FinnForm is one of the materials that will be used in the construction of interior storage such as closets, cabinets, and carts. One of the ways that we're staying within our budget is to do some of the transportation of materials ourselves. We're sufficiently tired of remodeling our current residence that we don't care to so much as look at a hammer, but the locations of some of the building materials are allowing us to gain a little something culturally, which explains the smiling picture of jazz legend Dave Brubeck. We had the good fortune to see Mr. Brubeck, who turned 86 in December, at the Chicago Symphony Center. We have enjoyed his music for some time, and one of the most joyous visions we have of ourselves in our new house is listening to his music filling the room with a fire crackling in the wood stove. Or a breeze coming off the porch. Or a gentle rain falling...you get the picture. Frank Lloyd Wright compared his architectural accomplishments to symphonies, and as we progress through this adventure, we can definitely see the similarities. We're in a rainy pattern, so not much to report. However, we may have a new basement floor!